The power of the review for service based businesses

I’m still amazed at how many businesses aren’t using old/current clients to get new clients. I’m not talking about some sort of loyalty program or referral program. I’m talking about just getting a great review from them on the right platforms.

Inevitably, when deciding if someone wants to work with you they will ‘stalk’ you online. They’ll check out your website (your digital business card), your social media channels and maybe even your LinkedIn profile.

So where should these reviews and testimonials be hosted? Here’s how I recommend you do it:

At the end of a successful contract/project send an email to the appropriate person and explain the way you love working with them and how you want to attract more clients like them.

I have a template set up with three options for them to review you:

1)    On your facebook page. This includes screenshots on how to do it and a direct link to the page

2)    On your linked in profile. A step by step guide should be included with screenshots on how to do this for your clients

3)    A google plus review. Again, a direct link is provided with instructions.

Now you don’t want to give your client’s total overwhelm so pick your targets. For some, I just send them the link for Facebook. For others, I just send them the instructions for linkedIn. It’s all about the industry they have come from and the type of work I’ve done with them.

Of course, if the relationship has been less than peachy, I’d also recommend using a tool such as jotform to create a survey for them. This will allow them to give feedback which you can then decide to display on your website or not.

Any raving reviews, I recommend you put them on your website and consider having them film a video testimonial. These are incredibly powerful, especially when given some context around the work you did and the results. At the bare minimum, you should have a link to the business website (if it was a business) and/or a photo of the person you worked with. It adds so much more authority. A real name is a must too. Having testimonials without the name makes us all think you made it up. Don't fall in to that trap. 

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